Immortals
by The Emcee
Summary: Vampire AU. A legend has been passed down through vampire society for thousands of years that tells of how the first naturally born vampire will become the Vampire King. Tadashi Hamada had only been a vampire for a century when Hiro Hamada was born, and now his one and only responsibility is his king.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Immortals

Author: The Emcee

Pairing: Hidashi

Summary: Vampire AU. A legend has been passed down through vampire society for thousands of years that tells of how the first naturally born vampire will become the Vampire King. Tadashi Hamada had only been a vampire for a century when Hiro Hamada was born, and now his one and only responsibility is his king.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, the fandom, or even the title. I got it from the Fall Out Boy song and you all know which one.

A/N: Okay, so, here's the deal. I have loved vampires since I was, like, six or something and I watched _Interview With a Vampire_ (not all of it; my mom shielded my eyes over the nudey parts). And although I've kind out fallen out of love with them (*cough*_Twilight_*cough*), I still find them pretty bad ass. So, I'm mixing _Big Hero 6_, which I just saw for the fifth time because it's consumed my life, with the vampire genre. It's an AU obviously and I hope you all like what I come up with. If you find any boo boos or mistakes, please let me know! I will fix them! And be sure to leave a comment in the towel section if you like it. R&R. Enjoy!

**~…~**

**Immortals**

**~…~**

It was often said among the vampire society that vampires were born from the ice. Tales tell of how a goddess from the heavens loved the magnificent beauty of ice so much that she created special beings from it to live alongside humans, forever embodying the beauty of ice in walking flesh. Their skin, to a normal human's touch, felt as cold as the very ice it was said they came from and their hearts were said to be frozen stones. Even a vampire's tears turned to ice once they came into contact with the air. Although no vampire still alive recalls how they actually came into being, the tale of the goddess and her admiration for the beauty of ice was often considered to be their creation story.

However, as much as the goddess loved ice and the beings she fashioned from them, she did not grant them the one ability that truly separated vampires from humans: the ability to give birth. While a vampire can Turn a human by biting them and injecting a small portion of their own blood into the human's bloodstream, it was impossible for a vampire pair to conceive and give birth to a child. Many vampire pairs had tried; they had all failed.

And yet, there was hope.

Another legend accompanied that of the goddess. It spoke of how a male child will be born into the vampire world and that he will be known as the Vampire King. Through him and only through him, will vampires be able to conceive and have children of their own. How this legend came into being, no one knew. All that they did know was that it gave them hope, and vampire pairs began to try desperately to bring their one hope, the salvation of their race, to life.

Many years passed and still, the Vampire King had not arrived.

The bright hope that all vampires had been clinging to began to fade, flickering out of existence like a light in the wind. Eventually, the vampires of the world stopped trying and started to believe that the Vampire King of legend was nothing more than that: a legend. Soon, all vampires fell into a somber state, a never ending despair, for without their one true hope, what motivation could be found to create more of their kind, especially when they were already being hunted down so viciously by the humans they lived alongside?

Centuries passed and the King all vampires once spoke of became nothing more than a fairy tale. And fairy tales don't really exist, do they?

**~…~**

Tadashi had only been a vampire for one century. He was still considered a baby, still considered to be young and not an adult even though he had been turned when he was twenty-one, but he didn't let that bothered him. Although, at first, he had missed his human life terribly, he had a new vampire family that he belonged to. His mother and father, the ones who had given him his new life, were kind people, honest, always trying to help others in need be they human or vampire. And he had an aunt, who was a bit eccentric but loving and kind, just like his parents. They may not have been his human family, but after a few decades, he began to see them as such and so, that's what he called them. His family.

By now, everyone in his human life had passed on, and while he mourned for them, he was a vampire now and vampires always looked at things with a different angle than humans did. Life, although not unlimited, was far longer for his kind than it was for humans. Vampires died just like humans did, but slowly, progressively, aging like a human did little by little over the hundreds and thousands of years they lived. He still ate food-food, something half of the human society still doubted even though humans and vampires had had a truce between them for over a thousand years. But that didn't mean that vampires didn't drink blood. They did, but it couldn't be from just anyone and it couldn't be human.

Although vampires could Turn a human by injecting their blood into a human's bloodstream, ingesting human blood could poison a vampire, maybe even kill him if enough was consumed. It was one thing to ingest a little by accident – a vampire might get ill, but that was it – but it was another to drink-drink human blood and vampires were not stupid. The only blood a vampire could drink for nutrition was that of his mate.

A vampire's mate wasn't just anyone though. First, and obviously, the mate had to be vampire and not human. And second, it couldn't be just any vampire at random; their mates were preordained, determined by their souls before they were born into this world as humans. Finding a mate wasn't that difficult, at least, that was what Tadashi had been told by his mother and father. Vampires impress when they find their mates; that is, they imprint (although vampires no longer use that term because of the publicity that now surrounds it thanks to vampire literature and film. Tadashi understood; it wouldn't look good for vampires if humans thought they stole the term from _Twilight_ or the _House of Night_ series). And when that happens, when the two vampires who are destined to be together finally find each other, they drink from another.

Tadashi had seen it happen a few times, when one vampire impresses upon another and it truly is a beautiful thing to bear witness to. Seeing someone find the person their body, heart, and soul are meant to be with, the someone they're fashioned to love for all of time and creation, is a beautiful thing. Part of him wondered if he'd be so lucky to have that happen to him. So far, it hadn't. His parents and aunt had told him not to worry; that he was still young and that there were plenty of vampires out there for him. But that didn't stop Tadashi from feeling a bit lonely. He may have had his family and his friends, but it would be wonderful to have someone who was his missing half, his missing link, the other piece of his puzzle, as well.

Perhaps that was why he felt this loneliness begin to creep ever so slowly into his soul. He may not have been alone, but when he was surrounded with his family and friends, he always felt lonely. There was always something missing, something that wasn't there. And after a century of being a vampire, over a century of being alive if one counted his twenty-one years as a human, the loneliness he felt could really get to him at times.

And then, one morning, something changed.

Tadashi woke up crying, crying actual tears. It had been one of the things that had made him stand out among his kind: his ability to shed real tears and not ice tears like all vampires did. No one knew why he was able to do it, but he could, he did. That wasn't important though; the fact that he woke up crying was.

It was important because he didn't feel sad or lonely or anything of the sort. As a matter of fact, Tadashi felt elated, happy, joyous, and he threw the covers off of him and rolled out of his body, his heart pounding, excitement and pure bliss coursing through his veins. Practically throwing open his bedroom door, Tadashi rushed out into the hallway and went down the stairs, taking two at a time. He needed to see his parents; he needed to know why he felt this way when there seemed to be no cause for it whatsoever.

When he stepped into the living room, he stopped, though. Sitting on the couch was his mother, who was smiling brightly, look positively radiant and beautiful even through the tears of ice that fell down her cheeks and broke on the wooden floor. His father was standing beside her, smiling with so much happiness, pride, and love that it only elevated Tadashi's own excitement and happiness. They looked up when they heard him enter the room and his mother opened her arms to him, gesturing for him to come closer as she spoke.

"Tadashi! Oh, Tadashi! We have so wonderful, miraculous news," she exclaimed, her brown eyes shining.

"What is it? What's going on?" Tadashi asked, adrenaline shooting throughout his entire body.

"It's a happened. It's really, truly happened," she said. Tadashi sat down on the edge of the recliner across from the couch and his knees were practically bouncing.

"What's happened?" he asked.

"Son, I'm pregnant!" his mother practically shouted, her face expressing pure joy and love. Tadashi swore that his heart stopped beating for a moment.

Pregnant? His mother was pregnant? But how could that be? Vampires couldn't get pregnant. So how…?

"How?" Tadashi asked, sounding just as stunned and awed as he looked.

"We don't know, but we believe it's him," his father answered, gazing down at his wife with love and affection.

"Him?" Tadashi said, looking slightly confused.

"The Vampire King," his father replied.

The Vampire King? Tadashi had read about the legend telling of how the first naturally born vampire would become the King of Vampires, but he had thought that it was a myth, a, well, legend. However, it was real, it was real and it was happening and he –

Tadashi was puzzled. If his mother was pregnant with the Vampire King, then why did he wake up crying? Why did he feel so happy and pumped up? Why did he feel as though he was no longer alone? Why did he suddenly feel whole, like his missing link, his puzzle piece, had finally been found? Was because of him, the Vampire King? Was the Vampire King his mate?

A soft, warm smile spread across Tadashi's face and he looked up at his parents, who were looking happier and brighter than he had ever seen them. Finally, after being alone for so long, he would have his mate. The fact that it was his brother, for all intents and purposes, - as well as the Vampire King! – mattered little to him at that moment. What did matter was that Tadashi had never before been so happy and relieved, he had never felt so complete and whole, and he greatly looked forward to their King being born.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys, but I'm currently in the process of outlining a nekoverse story and a soul mate one along with editing _My Heart's Desire_ because I'm not very satisfied with it (and I know that if I'm not satisfied with it, neither are you), so please bear with me! Also, and this is a more heads up kind of thing I guess than anything else, my chapter lengths vary so if this one seems short, I'm sorry. But, here is the second chapter! Please feel free to leave a comment in the towel section. R&R. Enjoy!

**~…~**

Months had passed and things had gotten crazy. When word had spread throughout the vampire community that Tadashi's mother was pregnant, legitimately pregnant, their house became flooded with wave after wave of visitors seeking to congratulate the pair. Many of the vampires that had passed through often knelt before Tadashi's mother, ice tears falling from their eyes as they could not contain their joy and hope at having the King finally arrive.

But there were also complications as well. Tadashi would often worry about his mother when she became winded too easily and had to take long rests. He knew that with humans, rest and relaxation were ideal to ensure a healthy baby and delivery, but sometimes, his mother would lie down for a nap and would end up sleeping for days on end. It worried him and he knew that his father was worried too.

It wasn't just the long sleeps that he noticed. His mother also needed more blood than what she used to and although Tadashi's father was willing to offer it without complaint and without even needing to be asked, he was beginning to look extremely pale, almost translucent or sometimes just outright transparent. And he wasn't as strong as he used to be; there were many times over the past months that Tadashi had had to assist his father in carrying even a case of water into the kitchen.

Mother was worse though. The further along her pregnancy came, the weaker she got it seemed. There were times when she couldn't even lift her head. Tadashi knew that this pregnancy, the first ever vampire pregnancy, would be strange, different, and difficult than a human pregnancy, but he had had no idea that it would be like this. And as there had never been a vampire pregnancy, what advice could his mother follow that would suit such special circumstances? Yes, there was the usual advice human doctors gave human women, but that could hardly be applied in this situation, all things considered. None of their visitors seemed to be able to give him much advice on it either.

However, as difficult as the pregnancy was becoming, they were all happy that their King was finally with them and that he'd be here soon. Tadashi spent many hours thinking about what he'd be like, what he'd look like, what his personality would be. Would he be quiet and shy or outgoing and full of energy? Would he be interested in robotics and technology or would he prefer chemicals or lasers? Just thinking about it brought so many endless possibilities to Tadashi's mind and there were many a night were he'd fall asleep dreaming of his King, of holding him in his arms, of talking to him as he would no other.

While it would take a few more months for their King, his King, Tadashi's mate, to be born, it would be well worth the wait.

**~…~**

"Hiro," Tadashi's mother said one day while he was sitting with her in his parents' bedroom. His father was at the weekly vampire community meeting and Tadashi always sat with her to keep his mother company since she was unable to go out.

"What?" Tadashi asked as he looked up from his book.

"I think that's what we'll call him," his mother replied with a kind, warm, and loving smile. "Hiro."

"It's a great name," Tadashi said, giving her a smile.

"It has many meanings, one of which is prosperous," his mother said and then laughed. "I thought that it would fit since he is the Vampire King." Tadashi laughed with her.

"I think you're right," he said. "It'll suit him perfectly."

**~…~**

Tadashi hadn't been feeling well all day, which was weird since vampires didn't get sick, ever. But from the time he woke up, his stomach had been toiling and churning and gurgling and he felt too hot even though the temperature of the house hadn't changed all that much since the day prior – maybe one or two degrees at most. Not only that, but he felt restless and couldn't sit still for very long. If he picked up a book to read, he would put it back a minute later to grab another one, which would return to the shelf while he searched for a replacement for that one. Whenever he'd try to write ideas down for his project, his mind would wander off and the page would remain blank and empty. If he even tried to pick a movie or TV show to watch, he'd be unable to make a decision and stick to it, much like the books he had tried to read. And when he could think of nothing else to occupy his time, he began to pace in his room.

With one hand holding his chin and his other holding his other arm's elbow, Tadashi walked back and forth, back and forth. What was up with him today? Why was he acting like this? He never behaved like this, so what was it about today that was making him so restless, so on edge? Nothing came to mind, not that he had the capability to think at that point. His mind was a jumbled mess and he couldn't get it together because he didn't know what was causing it. And he didn't know what was causing it because he couldn't think!

Then, he just stopped. His body just…stopped moving, right at the edge of his bed. Tadashi blinked a few times and a sudden wave of calm washed over him. All of the jumbled thoughts in his mind cleared and evaporated; his body no longer felt the need to move constantly; and he no longer wanted to pull his hair out in frustration. For the first time that day, he felt at complete and utter peace.

And the last thing he remembered was a sudden on-coming blackness before he passed out cold on his bed.

**~…~**

Tadashi didn't know where he was. There was nothing around him. Literally, there was nothing around him; not his bed, not his desk, not his book case, nothing. All that surrounded him was white. He didn't even know if there were walls and a ceiling wherever he was – but he knew there was a floor since he was currently sitting on it. A small part of his brain told him that this wasn't normal and that maybe it would be a good idea for him to panic right about now, but he didn't. How could he when he had never felt so peaceful, so relaxed, and so happy before in his entire life. Turning his head, Tadashi looked to see if anything around him had changed.

Nope. Nothing. Just endless whiteness. But when he turned to face forward, he was surprised to see a boy sitting in front of him and he gasped.

The boy was giving him a warm and soft smile as he stared at Tadashi. He appeared to be about thirteen, perhaps even fourteen, and he was wearing a red shirt with some kind of robot on it along with a blue jacket, cargo shorts, and sneakers. His hair was black and a wild mess, but it made him look adorable and cuddly and loveable, especially with that soft, round face and those large, brown eyes that twinkled with joy and enthusiasm, love and adoration. Tadashi couldn't help but blush at seeing such an expression in those eyes.

"It's about time you got here, you knucklehead. I was just about to give up hope that you'd come," the boy told him, laughing nervously at the end, a slight blush dusting his pale face as he scratched the back of his head.

"You've…you've been waiting for…me?" Tadashi asked. He had no idea what was going on and under normal circumstances, he'd probably be a little panicked by now, no matter how cute and adorable the company was. But he wasn't.

"Yeah. A while now. And I'm so happy that I finally get to meet you," was the reply he got.

"How can you have been waiting for a while when you're just a kid?" Tadashi said. "I'm a vampire. I've been a live for over a hundred years. How old are you anyway?"

"Fourteen. At least, that's how I look to you now, but I won't soon," the boy said and he laughed nervously again.

"I don't…understand," Tadashi mumbled, but his good feelings didn't disappear. In fact, they seemed to intensify, almost as though they were reacting off of the boy's feelings and drawing strength and energy from him.

"I know and I'm sorry that I can't explain things to you right now. Just know that I'm really, _really_ happy to finally be here with you," the boy said and then gave Tadashi such a radiant and beautiful smile that all of his worries and concerns melted away. "I love you, Tadashi. And I'll see you soon!"

Just then, the brightness in the room intensified and began to blur everything Tadashi saw. Blinking, he looked up and raised a hand to shield his eyes before he turned back to the boy, whose visage was fading fast in the brightness of the light. Words tumbled from his mouth even though he hadn't had a thought in his mind. He didn't hear what he said and he wasn't sure what was making him say them. All he knew was that he said them and that he would be waking up in a matter of seconds.

"I love you too, Hiro."

Everything around him disappeared in the brightness and Tadashi could do nothing except allow it to swallow him up.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you for all of the kind words and support! I'm glad that you're all liking the story thus far. Here's the next chapter. Feel free to leave a comment in the towel section. R&R. Enjoy!

**~…~**

When Tadashi opened his eyes, everything was blurry. Colors mixed and blended and swirled with one another creating a strange and surreal yet beautiful kaleidoscope effect. Then, his vision began to clear and Aunt Cass' face was staring right at him, so close that it was all he saw.

"Ah!" he screamed and felt himself jolt back just as his aunt let out a scream of her own before she took a few steps back away from him.

"Oh, Tadashi! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," she quickly apologized, looking worried and distraught, her hands clenching each other as they were pressed against her lips. "But you started moaning and I was hoping that you were finally waking up."

"N-no, it's fine," Tadashi rasped, his voice sounding rough and scratchy and his throat feeling even worse than how he sounded. It was only then that he realized that he had been placed on his bed. He had probably been lying down but he obviously bolted into a sitting position when he saw Aunt Cass' face so close to his own.

"How long have I been out?" Tadashi asked her.

After that weird…dream? Vision? He wasn't even sure what it was, but all he did know was that he had been feeling pretty good, amazing as a matter of fact, and that it was all good feelings, very good feelings. Tadashi tried to remember everything that had happened, but he couldn't. All he could really remember from that dream-vision was that there had been a boy and that Tadashi felt very happy and incredible upon seeing him, almost as though he had been waiting all of his life for him.

"Three days," Aunt Cass answered and Tadashi snapped his head up at her, his brown eyes wide. Three days?! He had been out for three days?!

"Three days? Seriously?" he repeated, not entirely able to believe it.

"Yes, three days. Your mother and father have been worried sick about you, especially since we had no idea you had fainted. And poor Hiro had just been crying and crying nonstop since he was born," Aunt Cass told him. "On top of trying to get him calmed down enough to just take a nap, your parents have been extremely worried about you. We weren't sure if you were going to wake up…"

Tadashi took a moment to process what his aunt had told him. His mind was still a bit foggy and scattered and he found it hard to think or concentrate. He looked back up at his aunt, his mind finally focusing on one thing, the only thing that mattered to Tadashi right now.

"Hiro? Hiro's been crying?" Tadashi asked. Aunt Cass nodded vigorously.

"Yes, for the past three days. Since he's been born," she told him and her face contorted in concern and deep worry. "He hasn't stopped since he was born. The poor thing won't eat much or sleep much either. None of us knows what's wrong or what to do…"

Tadashi was up and stumbling off of his bed and out of his room before Aunt Cass even finished her sentence. He stumbled out into the hallway, feeling unbalanced and dizzy, but determined.

"Tadashi, wait! You shouldn't be up and moving around so suddenly. Take it easy and go slow," Aunt Cass scolded him as she followed him down the hall. Tadashi didn't know where the nursery was, but his body made its way to wherever Hiro was, as though it knew instinctively where the newborn was.

It was only then that Tadashi realized that a baby was screaming, wailing loudly at the top of its lungs. How had he not heard that? Was he more out of it than he had realized? The screaming was loud so there was no way or reason why he shouldn't have heard it to begin with…

Whatever the reason was for him not hearing it, it didn't matter now. Tadashi turned to the first door on the left and walked inside. His mother was sitting in the rocking chair, holding Hiro while his father was standing behind them, holding a teddy bear and blanket in his hands. They looked up when he entered and they spoke to him, but Tadashi didn't hear a word they said. All of his attention was focused on Hiro.

The little baby was so tiny and pale, bundled in a purple baby suit, that he looked more fragile than glass. There was a small mess of black hair on his head and his hands were balled into tiny fists that were held up close to his face. His eyes were squinted shut, his nose was crinkled, and his mouth was open, producing the loudest wail that Tadashi had ever heard. And yet, he was absolutely breathtaking to Tadashi. As he gazed at the newborn babe, he could feel his heart melt and everything inside of him warm up, almost as though all of the world's love had suddenly been poured into his entire being. He knew what was happening, he knew what this was and suddenly, he could remember quite vividly the dream-vision he had had. Now, it all made perfect sense.

And just like that, Hiro, his brother, the Vampire King, stopped screaming at the top of his lungs. The most peaceful and joy filled looked came across his tiny face as he opened his eyes to reveal brown eyes, brown eyes that focused completely on Tadashi, just Tadashi and no one and nothing else. They stared at each other and then, Hiro smiled at him. It completely stunned Tadashi. He wasn't aware that newborn babies could smile; he didn't think they had the motor skills to do so and yet, there was Hiro, smiling at him.

"Oh, my," his mother said softly and she smiled lovingly down at Hiro as she started rocking him once more. Tadashi stepped into the room and crossed the space between him and Hiro. He knelt down in front of him and just watched as their mother rocked the babe back and forth gently.

"This is the first time he's stopped crying since he was born," their mother told Tadashi before she leaned down and kissed the top of Hiro's head. Tadashi could just imagine how soft his hair was. It probably felt like silk.

"Tadashi, I've never seen you look so…" their father began and he paused, thinking of the word or phrase to say.

"Happy and peaceful," their mother finished for him. Smiling down at her, their father nodded and looked down at Tadashi.

"That's exactly right. I've never seen you look so happy and peaceful," he said.

"I…I feel…wonderful," Tadashi said, practically whispering. "It's almost as though all of the bad things that exist in the world have vanished. It's like they were never even really here to begin with, kind of like they were…made up…something out of a dream." Hiro gurgled but didn't lose his smile as he stared Tadashi. Tadashi smiled back at him with so much warmth and tenderness and love that it almost made him cry. He had never felt this way before! It was fantastic! Beyond fantastic, even! It was…it was…indescribable.

"Well then, it seems as though you've found your mate," his father said. Tadashi didn't even look up at him; his eyes were focused solely on Hiro and nothing else.

"I have. He told me so himself," Tadashi mumbled, recalling the fourteen year old version of Hiro, who had wild and messy hair and a gap in his two front teeth and that adorable and beautiful smile. Now his words made perfect sense.

"Hiro told you?" their mother asked him, slight concern clouding her voice. Tadashi nodded.

"Yeah. When I was out, I…I dreamt of him. He paid me a visit, Hiro did," Tadashi explained calmly, as though it was perfectly normal for people to have dreams about newborn babies who looked, acted, and sounded like teenagers instead of the babies they actually were. "He told me that we'd meet soon and that he was happy to finally be with me."

He didn't see the look his parents exchanged.

"There haven't been many mated pairs who have had dreams of their mates before they met them," their father said softly, but not unkindly.

"This is a very good thing, though. It just goes to show how strong their bond is and will become," Aunt Cass injected. She gestured to Hiro. "I mean, just look at Hiro. He stopped crying as soon as he saw Tadashi. That enough is all the proof I need. And who are we to judge?"

"You're right. We should be happy and proud that Tadashi had found his mate and that Hiro will have a reliable and loyal mate to count him," their mother said with a soft smile. "As the King, Hiro will need all of the love and protection he can get."

"I will protect him. I should. He's my mate after all," Tadashi said softly as he watched Hiro yawn and blink his eyes tiredly at him.

"We will discuss it later on, son," their father said and Tadashi could only nod again.

He didn't care what his life would entail from here on out. Whatever challenged that may lie ahead of him and Hiro, Tadashi was going to meet head on and conquer them all, no matter what it took or how long. Hiro wasn't just the Vampire King, he was also Tadashi's mate and that meant and mattered more to him than his status did and ever would.

Tadashi smiled lovingly at Hiro as he closed his eyes and fell asleep as he was rocked by their mother. His mind was still and calm for the first time in days and everything in the world looked new and different. And he was, at long last, complete.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter, folks. Holidays are amazing, but they do make things crazy. I hope you all understand – I get the feeling that you do. Also, I have been working on a long-shot and I will be posting a littler excerpt at the very end of this chapter, so please let me all know what you think of that! Please feel free to leave a comment in the towel section! R&R. Enjoy!

**~…~**

It was incredible how much time could pass in the blink of an eye.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. It was a constant, never-ending flow, a forward march of time, an endless circle that kept on going round and round.

When he was a human child, days would seem to go on forever for Tadashi. He could remember his early years in school, how the school day seemed to last forever and ever. And then, when he hit high school, they began to move faster, but not by much. They still could seem to last forever. But now, though, now that he was a vampire, days were nothing.

Days were blinks, days were seconds, days like flashes of lightning, brief and fast, here one minute and gone the next. There never seemed to be enough hours in a day for him anymore, not now that Hiro had been born. It had been three years since Hiro had come to him, appeared before him in some kind of odd and strange dream-hallucination before being born as the first ever vampire baby, the Vampire King.

Every day since then, Tadashi's days had been, for the most part, wonderful. He spent almost all of his waking hours with Hiro – and a lot of hours sleeping as well, for Hiro often refused to be taken away from him. Tadashi would make funny faces at Hiro, read to him all sorts of books from the traditional fairytales to books about advanced physics and robotics, he would tickle him, cuddle him, blow raspberries on his belly, watch movies with him, feed him, burp him, bathe him and take baths with him, change his diapers, go out for walks…anything and everything that could be thought of that a baby could or would do, Hiro did with Tadashi. Although, there were times when their parents would often want to hold their child, coddle him, snuggle him, and the like. When they took him from Tadashi though, Hiro would wail and scream and bawl until he was back in Tadashi's arms and then he would smile so brightly and his tears would dry up and he would be so happy that it was obvious to everyone in their household that Hiro was far more aware of what he was doing than any baby should have been.

Of course, it wasn't often just Tadashi, Hiro, their mother and father, and Aunt Cass. Visitors often came, wishing to see the Vampire King in the flesh, wanting to touch his tiny hand, hoping to garner favor of some sort. Tadashi didn't like the constant flow of strangers coming to seek Hiro out as though he were some sort of…object for them to behold. And he definitely didn't like them touching him. He knew, he could feel it, that Hiro didn't like it, either, and that made him dislike it even more.

But this was their life now. And for three years, that was how it was.

**~…~**

At three years old, Hiro was already talking and having conversations as though he were an adult. He could read all sorts of books and for all ages, he could write in both English and Japanese, and he loved to tinker with stuff. Their parents had bought him the kiddie version of Legos, but when it became obvious that Hiro's brain was more advance than that, they bought him actual Legos and Lego kits, which, of course, Tadashi helped him assemble happily. Or watched him. Tadashi absolutely loved watching Hiro build those things; the look of concentration of his chubby, cute face was one that he had captured on film many times.

Their parents were so very proud of Hiro. Both their mother and father believed he was a genius. Tadashi knew for certain that he was. Even as a newborn, Hiro had this awareness about him that very few babies had. If he was told something, his eyes showed that he understood it no matter what words were used. He had a gift, Tadashi knew, and as the Vampire King, he could use that gift and do incredible and wondrous things with it.

For now, though, he was just a toddler who was snuggling against Tadashi's chest fast asleep as the credits for _'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'_ played (Hiro loved that movie; it must be the gargoyles or something, Tadashi didn't know for sure). His fingers were threading through Hiro's soft, duck-fluff hair when their mother entered the living room.

"You boys should be in bed, you know," she said, trying to sound stern even though her smile made that impossible.

Tadashi gave her an apologetic smile. Hiro had a bed time – eight o'clock sharp – and he hated it. He wanted to stay up with Tadashi and do things. But he needed his sleep, so, Tadashi often went to bed with him. He didn't mind. Cuddling his little Hiro was one of his favorite pass times nowadays.

"Sorry. I guess I lost track of time," Tadashi replied as he moved Hiro into his arms and stood up, holding his precious cargo close to his chest, rubbing his cheek affectionately against his black hair.

"It's okay. Just get to bed," their mother told him before leaving, going upstairs herself.

After turning off the TV, Tadashi made his way to the room he shared with Hiro, since Hiro refused to sleep anywhere without Tadashi. Hiro had his own bed too, but he always slept in Tadashi's. Once they were in their room, Tadashi laid Hiro on their bed – he couldn't really call it his anymore – and quickly changed into his pajama bottoms and an old, comfy tee. Gathering Hiro up in one arm – yes, he was that small and tiny still – Tadashi pulled back the covers and settled the both of them underneath them.

Turning off the light, Tadashi pulled Hiro close to his chest and cuddled him, burying his nose in his sweet smelling hair, breathing it in as he fell asleep.

"Dashi! Dashi!"

The next thing Tadashi knew, Hiro was crying out his nickname, shaking his face with his tiny hands. Snapping wide awake, Tadashi quickly took in his surroundings. Although his room seemed to be fine, there was the strong scent of smoke and fire and the roar of flames wafting from outside of their room.

With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Tadashi quickly rolled out of bed and pulled Hiro to his chest instinctively, forcing him to lower to his head against his chest with his chin. Should he go through the door? Tadashi could probably make it outside fast enough, but he wouldn't dare risk Hiro's safety for a chance. The window? That seemed like the best option. Their house was small and a jump from two stories wouldn't kill Tadashi; he was a vampire, such a fall was child's play to him anyway.

And then he remembered…

"Mom! Dad!" he shouted for them and heard nothing but a deafening roar in return. Frowning deeply, he called out for Cass. "Aunt Cass!"

The sound of broken glass – it was hard to tell which room it came from, but Tadashi was certain it came from their aunt's – told Tadashi that someone, at least, had made it out and that his guess of escaping through the window was the best one.

Without a moment's hesitation, Tadashi ran to the bed room window and hurled himself through it. Hiro's screams resounded in his ears, but all he could do and turn in the air as they headed for the ground. His back made impact with the ground and he was stunned for a moment. He could feel Hiro screaming against him, squirming vigorously as tears soaked his shirt. Then, he was being pulled up and when he blinked, there was Aunt Cass. There were a few smudges on her face, but she looked unharmed.

"What's going-" Tadashi didn't get the chance to say anything more than that.

The house he had called his home ever since he had become a vampire, the house Hiro had been born in, the house his family had all lived in, erupted into flames and a loud explosive sound cut off the remainder of his hearing. Glass shards of all different sizes rained down upon them. Sirens from fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars could be heard fast approaching.

Looking around, Tadashi saw their neighbors and passersby gawk in shock and horror as his house burned and fell apart slowly. His aunt had tears running down her face and her hands covered her mouth. He didn't see his parents. Looking down, Tadashi saw Hiro twisting and turning, his big, wide brown eyes red and puffy and full of tears as he cried and wailed and snotted all over himself and Tadashi's shirt. Bending down, he pressed a soft kiss to his hair. And then, Tadashi could do nothing but stand there and watch.

Even as the firefighters arrived on the scene and began hosing down his house, he knew that his parents were dead. It was a realization that had left him numb inside. He couldn't say anything; his words were caught in his throat. And he couldn't really hear anything either; his ears were still ringing painfully and every sound was muffled.

All Tadashi could do was stand there and watch.

**~…~**

**~…~**

**Titans on Earth**

**~…~**

"It's nice to finally have you all here. This is a rare opportunity and only the top minds at San Fransokyo College were chosen to assist my team in this venture," Professor Callaghan told them all. "I look forward to working with you all on this important discovery and finding out all that we can from these marvelous beings."

One of the girls on Cass' right raised her hand.

"Excuse me, Professor, but what exactly will we be studying? The briefing didn't give us a lot of specifics," she asked, her voice timid and shy.

"That's because there's still a lot we don't know about these creatures. That's why we brought you all in. Fresh minds, we are hoping, will help us further our understanding of these beings and give more in-depth insight on what they are and how they behave," Professor Callaghan explained, his smile never waving.

"Now, what I will tell you all now before we enter the grounds is to be on your guard. These beings are violent and act almost purely on their instincts. We have kept them contained since their capture, but we are unsure of how strong they really are," Professor Callaghan told them and he began to lead the group past the gates and onto the facility's grounds. "Also, please turn off all technological devices. We can't have anything interfering with our research or tech, and we don't want anything leaking out before we've compiled our data and make an official statement."

Cass quickly turned off her cell phone and put it back into her pocket.

When they arrived to the large, ornamental front doors, Professor Callaghan scanned his badge and they opened. He continued inside with Cass and the others following after him like lost, little ducklings. The foyer was just was grand and luxurious as any mansion would be, but the professor didn't give them time to gawk. Instead, he led them straight to a large elevator and, once everyone was inside, pressed the button for the basement level of the facility. The elevator stopped, but before the doors opened, Professor Callaghan turned to them.

"Do not be alarmed by their appearance and do not let it fool you," he told them.

Cass didn't understand what he meant. None of her classmates did. Not until the professor opened the elevator doors and led them into the wide, open lab space that the basement had become. There were rows of computers, monitors, screens, and all of the latest tech out there. But that wasn't what drew Cass' attention. At the back wall of the lab was a large, square, glass display case. That's what it reminded her of, anyway. A cage is what it actually was, a holding cell to house the specimens.

And inside the cell was what the professor had been telling them about and his warning on the elevator suddenly made sense.

**~…~**

A/N: Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm glad you all enjoyed that last chapter there. I hope I can continue to make them just as good. Let me know what you think in the towel section! R&R. Enjoy!

**~…~**

"We don't know anything," Tadashi told Setsuna, hunched in his chair with his elbows resting on the table.

It was only yesterday that the police had questioned him and his aunt, not even bothering with Hiro since he was only three. Answering their questions had been…difficult. Tadashi wasn't exactly in his right frame of mind, still in shock from the fire and his parents' sudden deaths, so it was Aunt Cass who provided most of the answers to them. After telling them what they were - and yes, that involved explaining who Hiro was, but thankfully, the police department was duty bound to keep that kind of information private from the public – they were asked all of the typical questions.

Did you know what caused the fire?

Have you received any sort of threats recently?

Was there anyone behaving strangely in the past couple of weeks?

Did your parents have any enemies?

Did they do something in recently that may have angered someone?

Is there anyone out there after Hiro?

That last question caused Tadashi to freeze like a statue. Hiro was the Vampire King, the one who would eventually bring the ability of child bearing to the vampires after an entire existence of them not being able to do so. Could there be someone out there who wanted him dead? If so, why? Hiro was only three years old. He was very important to their people, so why would any of them, hell, why would anyone period, want him dead? And humans were aware that vampires lived among them, though there were no ways for a human to tell them apart, not really. Besides, it was common knowledge for both species that vampires only drank the blood of their chosen mate, so it wasn't as though there was outcry because of humans being fed upon, not like there was four or five centuries ago. The Burning Times were long since passed, everyone knew that, and an uneasy peace reigned across the world between vampires and humans.

It was uneasy because there were still some out there who believed no one was safe unless vampires were eradicated permanently. But their numbers were smaller now than they were years ago and the laws in place now severely punished those who committed prejudiced and hateful crimes against the vampire community. Unless it was an absolutely necessity, vampires lived among humans, acting like humans, working alongside humans, and everything and weren't obligated to tell them what they really were. Most people were accepting nowadays, but that didn't mean that everyone was.

Now that the police were done with their questioning, the vampires were having a session of their own. Two of the older vampires in their society were before Tadashi's very eyes. Hayato, who was sitting across from him and who had been the most understanding and sympathetic to the recent tragedies, and Setsuna, who was standing, who looked serious and intimidating despite him being shorter than Tadashi, and who had been asking most of the questions. Tadashi wasn't sure if he liked either one of them, to be honest.

From what he had gathered from what they had said and from Aunt Cass' reaction, Hayato and Setsuna were old even among vampire standards, having been around for a thousand years at least for each of them. They were well known, often cited for their wisdom, and were important. But while they were both renowned, it was only Setsuna who held a seat among the Vampire Council, the group of nine powerful, old vampires who were kind of like war generals serving underneath a major general in a way. When Hiro would come of age, he would be the Vampire King, unchallenged, unquestioned, and unmatched, but the VC, as they were commonly known among the younger vampires today, would still be around to provide advice, assistance, and to act as liaisons between human-vampire relations and even vampire-vampire relations, should the need for it arise.

"So, you are unsure if there is someone out there amongst the humans or our people who had any sort of grudge against your parents?" Setsuna asked Tadashi, his amber eyes staring unblinkingly at him, making him feel like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar by the bad cop parent.

"As far as I know, no one had any reason to hurt them," Tadashi answered.

"And you are unaware if there is someone who is after our King?" Setsuna said.

"Why would anyone be? He's just a baby," Tadashi countered, starting to get defensive.

"We aren't trying to cause trouble. We just want to get to the bottom of this. This is the Vampire King, after all, and his family, _your_, family, was just attacked," Hayato said gently.

"How do you know it was an attack? Maybe it was an accident," Tadashi retorted.

"Hiro is the Vampire King. He is destined to change this world of ours. You cannot tell me that it is not suspicious that your parents died in a fire started at your home where he was sound asleep in," Setsuna responded. "All of our kind knows who Hiro is and, to certain extents, there are even some humans who know as well. Do not tell me this was an accident because that would be wishful thinking at best and outright denial at worst."

"Are you trying to say this is Hiro's fault?" Tadashi all but growled. He knew he wasn't being entirely reasonable, but he was tired, still in shock, had been kept from Hiro for too long, and was undergoing these damn questions by vampires who should be investigating themselves instead of asking him questions he's, in one way or another, already answered.

"Not at all, but he IS the Vampire King," Hayato replied. "Any person who had held great power is always targeted for one reason or another. You and your family just…ran out of luck."

"I had anticipated something like this. With our King here, it was only logical that someone, be they human or vampire, would wish for his blood," Setsuna said, muttered really, and more to himself than to anyone else.

"You knew this would happen and you didn't tell anyone?!" Tadashi growled, glaring at Setsuna. Setsuna, on the other hand, merely gazed at him, his face neutral and revealing nothing.

"I had told the rest of the Council, but they were not swayed by my mere feeling. Proof is needed to sway minds nowadays, not feelings," Setsuna told him and for a fraction of a second, he looked tired before resuming his usual countenance. "Things are not as they once were."

Tadashi ran his hands through his hair and over his face. He was tired. He was hungry. He was in desperate need to see Hiro with his own two eyes, to make sure he was okay, to hold him in his arms, to speak to him, to hear his voice, to feel his warmth. And he needed time to get through his shock and grieve properly for his parents.

"I'm sorry. I'm just…" Tadashi said, feeling defeated and overwhelmed. Hayato gave him a look full of sympathy.

"We understand. We're just trying to get to the bottom of this whole thing, to bring justice and closure to you and our King," Hayato said, his voice kind and full of patience. "We must insist, however, that you and the remainder of your family relocate."

"Relocate? Why?" Tadashi asked, his head popping up. He had lived in this city his entire life, before becoming a vampire and afterwards. Moving away to some foreign place seemed…frightening.

"This city has a high crime rate, a good portion of which has been directed to vampires in the past," Setsuna explained. "Humans know we are present in this city and they do not like it. It is not safe for the King to remain here any longer. We made the suggestion to your parents, but they did not heed the Council's warning. The result is…well…"

"Are you saying their deaths were their own fault?" Tadashi said, his eyes narrowing at Setsuna, who remained as stock still as a statue as he had been for most of this time.

"No, no! Not at all. But…the Council did tell them that the city's crime rate was a large point of concern, especially since our King is still a toddler," Hayato, once more, quelled the storm before it was even given a chance to rage. Tadashi could see why he had been sent along with Setsuna. Tadashi sighed.

"Where do you purpose we move to?" Tadashi asked them both.

"San Fransokyo is across the country, well away from this city. Its crime rate is low and it would be a short flight away from the Council's main headquarters in Japan," Setsuna answered. "Moving there would be the best solution. And it would give you all a chance to…start again."

For once, Setsuna's words seemed almost kind. Tadashi couldn't do much more than nod, his mind beginning to shut down as his body began to lose its energy.

"Thank you for helping us, Tadashi Hamada. We hope to see you and our King again," Hayato thanked him as he stood up, his files underneath his arm.

Tadashi stood and followed the two out of the room, walking and weaving past doors and cubicles as they left the police station. Night had fallen since Tadashi had first entered the station and now that he was outside, he realized just how hungry and tired and drained he truly was.

"Tadashi!"

"Dashi!" Aunt Cass' voice and Hiro's voice called out to him and he turned and spotted them, standing beside Aunt Cass' truck. A bright, wide smile was on Hiro's face, and his small, chubby fingers were reaching out to him, wanting to be held.

"We will be in touch, Tadashi," Setsuna said before he and Hayato departed, going off on their own into the night. He didn't bother saying good-bye; he was already half way towards his aunt and Hiro.

"Dashi! Dashi!" Hiro cried out, tears welling up in his eyes as Tadashi neared.

Once he was in his arms, Hiro buried in face in Tadashi's chest and cried, bawled like a baby, his tiny body shaking and his tiny fists curling Tadashi's shirt as they pulled on them. Tadashi shushed him and cooed, trying to calm him down, trying to stop his tears from flowing, but he couldn't. He couldn't possibly begin to imagine what Hiro was feeling; their parents were dead and he had been apart from Tadashi for far too long, longer than he had had to be ever before. It must have frightened him beyond belief. Those bastards, the police, those two vampires, and whatever or whoever caused the fire. His Hiro was suffering and he hated it, he hated it! He wanted to rip apart all of them for doing so, but he couldn't.

Right now, he had to focus on Hiro and making sure he was okay. Once they got into Aunt Cass' truck, Tadashi held Hiro close to him, so much so that he was half afraid he was smothering him, but Hiro didn't try to move. Instead, he just clung to Tadashi, unwilling to let him go for even a second. Tadashi ran one of his hands up and down Hiro's back, soothing him as they rode on.

"What were Setsuna and Hayato doing in town anyway?" Tadashi asked his aunt, his voice a slight growl, causing Hiro to squirm. Tadashi cooed at him and nuzzled his soft, messy hair. Hiro stilled and relaxed against his body, his head turned to the side, his wide, unblinking eyes staring out of the window as the buildings passed them by.

"They came to see Hiro on behalf of the VC," Aunt Cass replied. "Took them along enough, but I guess even they can get busy."

"We have to move," Tadashi told her. She nodded.

"I know. We'll be leaving in a few days," she said. "It's not like we have a lot to pack…"

Silence fell upon them as Aunt Cass drove towards the hotel that was their home until they found a permanent one in San Fransokyo. Tadashi held onto Hiro, soaking up the warmth of his small body and finally feeling at ease now that they were together. His body relaxed and went slack in the seat of the truck. Tadashi didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until they had stopped.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I am so, so, so sorry for not updating this story. I was finishing my Titans one and I pushed this one and my other to the back burner. Please forgive me! R&R. Enjoy!

**~…~**

Tadashi had had no idea that driving across the country would be so…long.

That wasn't entirely true; he had known it would be a long drive, but there was a difference between knowing and experiencing it first-hand. The first day hadn't been bad; they had started out at eight in the morning and by eight at night they were looking for a cheap motel to stay at. Sitting for twelve hours straight had been a nightmare. Tadashi wasn't used to sitting for that long and Hiro was often in his lap, gazing out of the truck window in awe and fascination as the scenery went by. He thought it was adorable watching his little mate gape at the changing scenery. Hiro had been used to the city all of his short life and seeing any sort of greenery was a new experience for him.

But that only lasted so long.

Eventually, he began to tire of sitting. He wanted to get up and move about and play, but that just wasn't an option. The only thing keeping Hiro from a tantrum was Tadashi cooing at him and snuggling him and promising they'd play once they got to where they were going.

It hadn't taken long for Aunt Cass to find a little home for them in San Fransokyo, not with the connections she apparently had out there, friends that she hadn't seen for decades. They helped her to find a little home that happened to have an empty café style restaurant below it. Cass had always been an amazing baker and cook, so she and Tadashi came up with the idea of opening a café there to make a living. That would also help with something else they had decided upon.

Since his parents were dead and Hiro was the Vampire King, Tadashi had suggested that perhaps it would be better if they all posed as humans in San Fransokyo. While Setsuna and Hayato had told him that the crime rate was lower there, after what had happened, Tadashi didn't want to take any chances. Blending in with the human population would be their best and safest bet.

It will be hard for all of them, especially Hiro as he is the Vampire King and still so young, but it was necessary. Protecting what remained of his family was necessary for Tadashi. And, hopefully, this would work. He didn't see why it wouldn't. As Setsuna had said, it would be a chance to start over again, and after the horrible tragedy that had shaken their lives like an earthquake, Tadashi believed that they all needed that.

However, that still didn't make the trip all that enjoyable.

Tadashi had never been so glad to see a motel in all his life. When he had gotten out of the truck with Hiro in his arms, sound asleep from sheer boredom, he almost collapsed. His legs felt like Jell-O and he could hardly feel his rear. Walking with a sleeping three year old in his arms was quite the feat, but he had somehow managed to make it into the main office area of the building.

Aunt Cass spoke with the receptionist, an elderly lady who cooed at Hiro, who was burying his face in Tadashi's shirt as he slept. Once they were given their room key, they went to their room where Tadashi plopped backwards onto one of the twin beds while Aunt Cass went to take a shower. He rolled onto his side and snuggled Hiro, thankful to finally be out of the truck and in a bed.

Tadashi was awakened by Aunt Cass, whose short hair was still wet and who looked just as tired as he felt.

"The bathroom's all yours, Tadashi. Why don't you take a shower or bath and relax your muscles? We still have a long road ahead of us," she said.

Nodding dumbly, Tadashi released Hiro and rolled out of bed. He walked into the bathroom and left the door open slightly just in case. After shedding his clothes, he stepped into the shower, pulled the curtain close and turned the water on. Never before had he been so thankful for hot water than he was right then and there. Releasing a low moan, Tadashi let the water spray down upon him, drenching his hair and body, soothing his back, and just stood there, soaking it all in.

"Dashi?" a small, tired voice cried out for him. A tired smile spread across Tadashi's face.

"I'm in the shower, Hiro," he replied, reassuring his brother and mate that he hadn't disappeared or anything. The next thing Tadashi knew, small arms wrapped themselves around one of his legs as Hiro slipped in the shower, gasping.

"Hiro?" Tadashi asked and looked down. Smiling up at him was Hiro, the gap between his teeth as adorable as ever, and his usually untidy hair was clinging to his face and neck. He looked far too adorable and precious for words.

"Dashi," Hiro replied and held onto his leg as his wobbly legs steadied themselves. Tadashi guessed he wasn't the only one who was stiff from the drive.

This hadn't been the first time Hiro had joined him in the shower, so Tadashi wasn't all that surprised. He quickly washed himself and then Hiro before turning the water off and getting out. Wrapping a towel around his waist, Tadashi dried Hiro off and sent him out to Aunt Cass to change into cleaner clothes before he finished drying himself off and dressing. Hiro was already passed out on the bed when he opened the bathroom door and turned off the light. After saying good night to his aunt, Tadashi joined Hiro in bed, curling his larger body around Hiro's tiny one, shielding him from the world around them.

Tadashi was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

**~…~**

That was how their days went as they drove to San Fransokyo. The drive only lasted four days – the truck had broken down on one of them, of course – but as they neared their new city, Tadashi felt as though a weight were being lifted off of his shoulder. This really would be a new start to their lives. It'd be a new city, a new home, and there'd be new people to meet and get to know.

Which brought to mind something else…

"Hey, Aunt Cass?" Tadashi asked.

"Yeah? What's up, Tadashi?" Aunt Cass replied, looking over at him briefly to make sure nothing was wrong. Hiro was sleeping in Tadashi's lap, his level one reading robot book still clutched in his tiny hand.

"Hiro's three now. We should probably enroll him in some kind of preschool once we get settled any everything in San Fransokyo," Tadashi suggested. He had been thinking about this the past few days.

If they were going to pretend to be humans, then that would mean that Hiro would have to go to school. Tadashi had wanted him to go regardless. Hiro was special and smart; school would help him and guide him and enlighten him in ways that not even their parents could have done. Even though he was the Vampire King, Hiro was still so young, he was still a child, and children went to school until they graduated. There were so many opportunities available at school and Tadashi wanted Hiro to have them as well.

Being the Vampire King, the only vampire to be born naturally as a human is born, and the one and only king period, was something new, something big. No one really knew what it meant yet and no one knew what awaited Hiro down the road. But Tadashi did know that normalcy wouldn't be there, not often, not when Hiro was old enough to take on the responsibility he was given. Growing up like any normal child might help him along his way; it could only do good things for Hiro, Tadashi believed in that. He believed in Hiro.

"Two and a half is usually when most kids start going to preschool," Aunt Cass said. "Before now, your parents weren't sure what to do as far as his schooling, what with him being the Vampire King and all."

"I know, but things have changed. We're supposed to be human now," Tadashi replied.

"You're his mate. We'll look into them once we get settled in and whichever one you think is best, we'll send him there," Aunt Cass said. "He's so cute that no one could say no to him." She beamed down at Hiro with pride. And then, she smiled that way to Tadashi.

"Speaking of which, you should apply for college, Tadashi," she said.

"You really think so?" Tadashi asked. He had thought about it, but not seriously. And then Hiro had been born and Tadashi had had little desire to live his side.

"Yes, I do! You're really smart, Tadashi. And it's not fair to ask you to give up everything just to make sure we're okay," Aunt Cass told him. "I can take care of things myself, you know. Besides, you've come up with some wonderful ideas yourself and I want to see you go on and create them. I want to see you make something of yourself too."

"I'll think about it," Tadashi said, giving her a smile.

He would, too, but not until Hiro was taken care of first. No matter what, Hiro would always be his first priority. He was not only his brother but his mate as well; Tadashi wouldn't, couldn't, let anything bad happen to him. Right now, the only thing on his mind was getting to their new home and turning it into a home for Hiro to live in. It wasn't just his responsibility; it was something he wanted to do.

And he would make it happen. He would.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Before we delve into the chapter, I just want to thank everyone for taking time to read my story and for commenting, following, or adding it to your favorites. It means a lot to me! Now, onto the chapter! R&R. Enjoy!

**~…~**

Tadashi had never been so relieved to step out of Aunt Cass' truck in all of his life. His back was sore, as were his legs and even his arms. He felt exhausted even though all he had been doing the past few days was sit in the truck as they drove along; he supposed that it was probably because of the travelling. Having never travelled so far before, he wasn't used to it. To be honest, Tadashi doubted that anyone could get used to being on the road so much, but then again, everyone was different.

Stretching, he took a few steps towards their new home. It was a modest little place, cute, and Tadashi knew that the three of them would make it their home. With their three brains at it, he knew that'd make it wonderful. After all, this was a new start, a new beginning, and things would only get better from here on out. They just had to.

"Wow! It's bigger than what I thought it'd be," Aunt Cass said, smiling widely as she stepped up beside Tadashi with Hiro in her arms. She had been in the passenger's seat and had been holding the sleeping bundle of joy while Tadashi took over driving, to give her a breather.

"And nicer too. I'll be fun exploring the place," Tadashi agreed. Smiling himself.

"You'd better wake Hiro up. He'll be so excited that we're here and to see this new place!" Aunt Cass gushed, smiling lovingly down at the toddler.

"Hiro. Hiiiiirooooo," Tadashi called softly, rubbing his nose against Hiro's. Hiro's nose scrunched up and he shook his head a bit. Big, tired brown eyes opened, still slightly glazed from sleep.

"Hiro, we're at our new home. Wanna see it?" Tadashi asked his darling mate, smiling oh, so warmly at him. All of the tension from travelling seemed to melt away as Hiro yawned and reached out his tiny arms for Tadashi to take him.

"Dashi," Hiro said and then yawned. He didn't need to say anymore. With a bright smile, Tadashi gently took him from Aunt Cass.

"Let me get the door and then you two can go exploring, 'kay?" Aunt Cass said as she made her way to the front door. After unlocking it, she opened it up and stepped inside with Tadashi and Hiro on her tail.

"Oh wow… This _would_ make a wonderful little café!" Aunt Cass gushed as she rushed around the open front room, her shoes making loud footsteps on the tiled floor. "Look at how the windows bring in so much light! And I can put in a little cash register here and…"

Tadashi smiled at his aunt and guided Hiro to the stairwell.

"Let's do some exploring of our own, huh?" he whispered to Hiro.

"Exploring! Exploring!" Hiro giggled as Tadashi led them up the apartment upstairs. They walked into the kitchen and Tadashi whistled.

"Aunt Cass will love this kitchen," he told Hiro, who turned every which way he could to see every little thing.

The cabinets were sturdy, but in need of paint. That wouldn't be a bad job, though; they could all have fun with it, so there was that. Aside from the oven and stove needing to be washed again – just in case – everything appeared to be in working order. Tadashi moved from the kitchen to the living room and he wondered how on earth they'd be able to get furniture, let alone get it up the stairwell, which wasn't very large or roomy.

As he and Hiro surveyed the living room, Tadashi could envision how it'd be: there'd be a couch, an arm chair too maybe, and the TV would be placed in front of the couch, where all three of them would curl up and watch TV and movies, Hiro on Tadashi's lap, maybe a cat on Aunt Cass' – she loved cats, after all. It'd be amazing and wonderful, simply wonderful. He greatly looked forward to those days, which would hopefully be happening soon.

"How many bedrooms?" Hiro asked Tadashi, looking up at him with a worried countenance. Tadashi smiled and hugged him close, inhaling his scent and taking in his body heat.

"I dunno, Hiro. Can't remember," Tadashi replied. He pulled back and gave him a smile. "Let's go and see, shall we?"

"Okay," Hiro mumbled and Tadashi just knew what was troubling him. More than likely, Hiro was afraid that he'd have a room of his own, away from Tadashi. But Tadashi already knew that that wasn't going to happen.

They made their way up the stairs and the apartment slip into two rooms, two bedrooms with a bathroom, complete with shower and bath. But Hiro didn't know that; Aunt Cass and Tadashi knew and with the doors closed there was no way to tell anything for sure.

"Well, well, well, it looks like there's only two rooms," Tadashi said, smiling down at Hiro, who perked up at that. "One for Aunt Cass and one for you and me."

"Yeah!" Hiro cheered, his brown eyes lighting up and a smile spreading across his face.

"Buuuuut, let's make sure," Tadashi added, grinning. He opened the door on the left and guided them inside. With a knowing grin, he watched as Hiro looked around the room. He got excited at first, but then deflated when he saw the bathroom door.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to it.

"Let's see," Tadashi said. Walking over to it, he opened the door and peered inside along with Hiro to the bathroom beyond the door. "Well, look at that. Our own bathroom. The other room is probably like this one too."

"We have to make sure," Hiro said, giving Tadashi a sharp look. Laughing, Tadashi hugged Hiro again; he was so smart for his age, far more than he was given credit for. If pushed in the right direct, he'd do amazing things.

"You're right. We have to make sure," Tadashi agreed.

After they explored the room that would be Aunt Cass', they made their way down the stairs and almost bumped into their aunt, literally.

"Oh! There you two are! So? How does it look? Do you like it? Will it be big enough?" Aunt Cass asked, her eyes lit up with excitement and eagerness. Tadashi gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's perfect for a family of three," Tadashi said.

"I thought so too! Oh, this is going to be wonderful! We'll paint everything and get brand new furniture and all that jazz!" Aunt Cass gushed. They made their way into the kitchen. "I'll open up shop and everything will be great!" She turned to Tadashi and Hiro, her eyes filled with tears.

"This is it. This is our new beginning," she said and bit her bottom lip before she rushed over to them and enveloped them both in a hug. "I am so happy right now! So happy! We are going to love it here!"

She pulled away and gave them a big smile that was full of pride and love.

"We've got a lot of work to do, boys, so let's get our few boxes inside and then we'll find someplace to chow down at!" Aunt Cass commanded them as though they were her soldier boys. Tadashi laughed and set Hiro down on the floor.

"Let's give Aunt Cass a hand, huh?" he asked.

"Okay! Sure!" Hiro said and he ran off after Aunt Cass, calling for her as his little legs guided him carefully down the steps to the café.

Tadashi followed him and within a few minutes, all of their belongings that hadn't been destroyed in the fire were inside, placed carefully on the kitchen floor.

"We'll go tomorrow and see what furniture we can get and then go and see about paint and-" Aunt Cass began, but Tadashi cut her off.

"Why don't I go and see about the furnishings while you and Hiro go get the paint and cleaning supplies," Tadashi suggested. He knelt down beside Hiro and gave him a smile.

"Will you be okay helping Aunt Cass out tomorrow? I can lift heavier things than she can and I don't want to take the chance of either of you getting hurt," Tadashi asked Hiro.

"I can help Aunt Cass," Hiro said, standing up tall and sticking out his tiny chest. It made Tadashi laugh.

"Are you sure, Tadashi? My truck is only so big…" Aunt Cass said, looking concerned.

"It's no problem. I won't bring everything we need over; just whatever might fit," Tadashi answered. "It's okay if I can take the truck, right?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah! I saw a hardware store just a few blocks from here. Hiro and I can walk," Aunt Cass reassured him with a smile. "We don't really need much. I just want this place to look like a home."

"It will. Slowly but surely," Tadashi said and he pulled Hiro into his arms before he stood up. He laughed when he heard Hiro's stomach growl. "I guess it has been a while since we all had something to eat."

"Then let's go and find someplace that, hopefully, serves good food!" Aunt Cass said as she dangled the keys before making her way down the stairs.

Tadashi followed slowly behind her, not in much of a hurry despite his own hunger. He had a really, really good feeling about this place. Hopefully, that meant that their lives would be full of happiness and love and free of too many hardships and stress. There was a lot on their plate to do, but they'd get there eventually. He was certain about that.


End file.
